Theory of chemical bonds in metalloenzymes I: Analytical and hybrid-DFT studies on oxo and hydroxo diiron cores

Oxo- or hydroxo-bridged diiron centers are ubiquitous in metalloenzymes such as hemerythrin (Hr), ribonucleotide reductase, methane monooxygenase, and rubrerythrin. In each enzyme the diiron core plays a central role in the highly specific reaction. To elucidate mechanisms of these reactions, many experimental studies have been carried out, and bioinorganic model compounds have also been synthesized for the purpose. In this study electronic structures of diiron centers for Hr model compounds are investigated from the viewpoint of magnetic interactions. To this end, the Hubbard model for the three-center four-electron bond is analytically solved to elucidate an important role of electron correlation and the resulting superexchange interaction between localized spins. The hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations also are performed for Hr model compounds to provide the natural orbitals and their occupation numbers, which are crucial for computations of several chemical indices, such as effective bond order, information entropy, and unpaired electron density. These indices are useful for characterization and understanding of chemical bonds in FeOFe cores. The calculated effective exchange integrals (J_ab) are wholly consistent with the available experiments. The orbital interactions in the FeOFe cores are reconsidered in relation to recent work by other groups. It is found that magnetic interactions are sensitive to the hydrogen bonds in the systems and are related to effective regulation of the activity. Implications of the calculated results are discussed in relation to the nature of chemical bonds in the FeOFe cores of several biological systems. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004